Why chronic diseases are even scarier than bird flu

So far, the U.S. has gotten off relatively easy when it comes to bird flu. Humans have, at least. Although the virus has propagated across the nation — infecting countless farmed animals (leading to the cruel, systematic killing of nearly 100 million birds), spreading to wildlife and killing them, sickening farm workers, affecting egg prices and contaminating cow’s milk — it hasn’t yet been fatal for humans in this country.

The same can’t be said of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases that are primarily caused by consuming birds and their eggs, cow’s milk and other animal-derived substances.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in the U.S. Six out of 10 adults in this country have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, and four out of 10 suffer from two or more of them.

These deadly ailments are responsible for 90% of the nation’s annual $4.5 trillion in health care costs, and they come at great personal expense to those they afflict: pain, anxiety, reduced quality of life and lives that may be cut short by years or decades.

As with preventing bird flu and other zoonotic diseases — which cause 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million human deaths worldwide every year — the best way to avoid many chronic diseases is to stop raising, killing and eating animals.

Animal-based foods, which are high in cholesterol, saturated fat and potentially deadly bacteria, have no redeeming value. Not only are they linked to many common chronic diseases, the animals who are exploited to produce them are also forced to endure lives of abject misery followed by terrifying, painful deaths. And study after study has shown that meat, eggs and dairy are driving the climate catastrophe — and just about every other environmental crisis, too.

I’m relieved that I went vegan 32 years ago after learning from PETA materials that farm workers cut chickens’ and turkeys’ throats while they’re still conscious, chop off piglets’ tails and testicles without giving them pain relievers, suffocate or slice open fish and tear calves away from their mothers soon after birth, locking the males in small crates or pens before killing them for veal.

I’ve got enough to worry about because of a genetic condition. I don’t want to jeopardize my health by eating meat and other harmful animal-based foods. Being vegan means I’m far less likely to suffer from high blood pressure, obesity and other health problems associated with consuming meat, eggs and dairy, which are risk factors for many chronic diseases.

It doesn’t make sense to fork over lots of “cheddar” to treat conditions that could be prevented by simple changes in eating. According to researchers at Tufts University, subsidizing fruits and vegetables could help ward off millions of cases of chronic disease and save more than $100 billion in healthcare costs.

That’s because produce and other vegan foods are cholesterol-free, low in saturated fat and calories and rich in fiber and other important nutrients. They strengthen the immune system and help fight chronic diseases. Studies show that vegans tend to be leaner than meat-eaters and vegetarians and enjoy a reduced risk of many life-threatening health conditions.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, going vegan can reduce one’s risk of developing diabetes by 62%, their likelihood of being hospitalized for a heart attack by 33%, their risk of suffering from heart disease by 29% and their chance of developing cancer, in general, by 18%.

Chronically consuming animal-derived foods, on the other hand, is a prescription for illness. New research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, to name just one example, suggests that men who consume lots of cow’s milk are 25% more likely to develop prostate cancer. Experts advise them to switch to vegan options.

Vegan foods taste great and have never been linked to bird flu or other zoonotic diseases. Eating your veggies really can keep the doctor away and spare both you and other animals so much suffering. What are you waiting for?

Heather Moore is a senior writer for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.